Heavy/NBCUniversal Cast members from 'Southern Charm."
Madison LeCroy went back 20 years for her Halloween costume. The “Southern Charm” star and her husband Brett Randle channeled former “Newlyweds” stars Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey for a hilarious costume idea.
LeCroy and Randle themselves are still newlyweds. The couple married in November 2022 at a Charleston, South Carolina courthouse and later with a destination wedding in Mexico.
Here’s what you need to know:
Madison LeCroy & Brett Randle Poked Fun at Jessica Simpson’s Famous ‘Chicken of the Sea’ Moment From the 1st Season of ‘Newlyweds’
LeCroy gave fans a look at her couples costume in an Instagram post Oon October 31, 2023. In a post shared with her 680,000 followers, Lecroy sat on a white couch wearing black sweatpants and a white t-shirt. She held a bowl of tuna fish in her hand as she glared at Randle, who rocked a cut-off tee that showed a fake starburst and chain tattoos around his bicep.
LeCroy then shared a still photo from the “Newlyweds” scene their costume depicted. “Chicken of the sea #newlyweds,” Lecroy captioned the post,
Fan and fellow Bravolebs reacted to the “genius” recreation.
“THIS IS AMAAZZINGGGG,” wrote “Summer House” star Ciara Miller. “IM DEADDDD.”
“OMGGGGGGG,” wrote Paige DeSorbo.
“ATE,” added ‘Southern Charm” star Venita Aspen.
LeCroy also shared a video of the full recreation on her TikTok page. You can see it below.
Simpson saw LeCroy’s post and commented on it with her favorite tuna recipe. “Best with miracle whip, apples and chopped pickles,” she wrote.
LeCroy reacted via an Instagram story. “When I tell you that I just screamed and scared the living s*** out of Brett,’ she said. “I was like, ‘Jessica Simpson is in my f****** messages!’ No, I made it!”
The “Southern Charm” star added, “I feel a collab coming. I think it needs to happen.”
Jessica Simpson Made Headlines For Her 2003 Tuna Fish Gaffe
In 2003, then-newlyweds Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey were stars on MTV’s reality show “Newlyweds: Nick & Jessica.” In a famous scene from the pilot episode, the couple ate tuna as they watched TV in their living room. At one point, Simpson asked, “Is this chicken that I have, or is this fish?”
After her husband gave her a stunned glare, Simpson explained, “I know it’s tuna, but it says ‘chicken by the sea.’ … Is that stupid?
Lachey continued to glare, causing Simpson to say, “Don’t make fun of me right now. I’m not in the mood.”
“You act like you’ve never had tuna before,” Lachey said.
After Simpson replied, “I’ve had tuna fish sandwiches and stuff like this,” the 98 Degrees alum reminded her, “You and I have eaten tuna like this before.”
Simpson then wanted to know, “Why is it called Chicken by the Sea… or in the sea?”
“Chicken of the Sea is the brand,” he said. “You know, because a lot of people eat tuna, it’s like a lot of people eat chicken. It’s like the Chicken of the Sea.”
“Okay, I understand. I read it wrong,” Simpson replied.
Jessica Simpson Later Addressed the Scene
The “Newlyweds” scene made major headlines and even became part of a “Saturday Night Live” skit starring Simpson the following year. Years later, the singer posted a photo of a chicken swimming in the ocean with the caption, “Maybe Jessica Simpson was on to something?”
In an interview on “Larry King Live,” Simpson revealed fans often came up to her to talk about her famous scene.
“I get men that come up to me, ‘my wife is just like you.’ And there are people that actually do say, ‘my wife thought Chicken by the Sea was chicken,’” she said. “The funny thing is that before the show started airing, they showed us just little [select scenes] that we were going to be on. I didn’t even remember. Like, that was the moment that I didn’t even really remember. Like, I was just sitting there with Nick trying to do the Atkins diet and eating tuna fish out of a can.”
“See, that’s the thing. People think that would be like some memorable moment in our lives. That stuff happens every day,” Lachey chimed in.
In 2021, Simpson referenced her tuna confusion amid a lawsuit against Subway that claimed there was no tuna fish in the chain’s tuna sandwiches, according to USA Today. Subway denied the claim and noted that the chain “delivers 100 percent cooked tuna to its restaurants, which is mixed with mayonnaise and used in freshly made sandwiches, wraps and salads that are served to and enjoyed by our guests.”
Simpson took to Twitter to post a video about the faux tuna claim and captioned it, “It’s OK @SUBWAY. It IS confusing.”
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